Since returning from the 2025 MLB All-Star break, the Detroit Tigers have had inconsistent results. While they secured their 60th win on Sunday, losing two out of three games to the Texas Rangers wasn’t ideal, leading fans to question whether the Tigers can quiet their critics before the upcoming trade deadline.
Although they ended their series against the Rangers with a victory, the win came at a cost. Javier Baez, an infielder/outfielder, left the game in the sixth inning due to left shoulder soreness— the same shoulder he injured while playing against the Cincinnati Reds last month.
Losing a versatile veteran like Baez for any amount of time is never great; however, it looks like the Tigers dodged a major bullet with this situation.
Tigers Avoid Disaster with Latest Javier Baez Injury Update
In a post-game interview, manager A.J. Hinch shared with Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that Baez confessed he “didn’t feel right” during Sunday’s game. The silver lining, however, is that the 32-year-old infielder/outfielder reassured fans that his injury isn’t as serious as some had feared.
“I was just trying to figure it out,” Baez told reporters. “I didn’t want to keep playing with soreness. It is sore a little bit, but we’ve been doing treatment today, and we’ll do treatment (Monday), and we’ll see how it feels.”
Even if his situation isn’t dire, throwing Baez back into the fire soon would be a mistake — especially if the Tigers don’t want him to re-aggravate his injury. That’s likely why Hinch & Co. later announced that Baez won’t be active in Monday’s showdown with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to the starting lineup that MLive’s Evan Woodbery shared.
The Tigers don’t need Baez’s help to beat a lowly team like the Pirates, so it makes a ton of sense to give him the day off to heal. The former 2011 first-rounder is slashing .274/.308/.438 with 10 home runs, 39 RBIs, nine walks, and three stolen bases in 81 games (274 at-bats), while his 2.0 WAR is the fourth-best in the Motor City, highlighting how important he’ll be to Hinch’s plans come the postseason.
For now, Tigers fans will continue monitoring Baez’s situation and hope for more positive updates as the week goes on.
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